BEYOND THE LAB COAT: Manuela Brás
Whenever someone new arrives at INEB one of the first faces that he/she will meet will be Manuela Brás. This is in part due to her tasks at INEB, but also due to her strong character and professional commitment, that don’t let her unnoticed anywhere. Manuela was born in March 6th 1972, in Lisbon, and part of her childhood was spent in the cold city of Guarda. When she was 14 years old, she moved permanently to Porto, to study at Rainha Santa Isabel School. Later on, she went to the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, where she graduated in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and then received a master degree in Biomedical Engineering.
In her first steps after graduation, Manuela worked in the mechanical engineering industry, where she occupied positions in the quality management field.
Then she came to INEB where she has been building a great career. Manuela joined INEB in November 1996, with a BTI fellowship from FCT, to work with Professors Fernando Jorge, José Cavalheiro and José Domingos. In August 1999 she achieved a permanent contract position at INEB. Her great contribution to INEB led her to the position of Chief Technician of the Biointerfaces Laboratory of the institution. Her ambition and work guided her to achieve another success and, in September 2004, she became the manager of the Services Unit for Interfaces and Macromolecules (SUIM) of INEB.
In between all the tasks that she has to handle daily, Manuela is also receiving visitants from schools and universities at the LB+ facilities, participating in the organization of Mostra da UP and INEB school visits, and taking care of all of us at INEB as a first aid caretaker.
Main Challenge(s):
Each day is different from the following one. There is no routine. I feel very glad to know that, although very indirectly, I give my best for increasing the quality of life of our society.
INEB in one word:
Challenge – a daily challenge leading me to another challenge and so on…
Sometimes is really difficult, in the end of the day, to “close this door” and to “open another one”…
Beyond the lab coat...
I do not dispense my Combat and Dance classes, running at the weekend, being “book readeraholic” every day, volunteering, painting and to photograph everything.
The Movie:
Difficult to answer….
The Schindlers’ list (Steven Spielberg, 1993).
The Book:
Very difficult….
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco, 1980) and Angels and Demons (Dan Brown, 2009).
The Trip:
Lost city of Atlantis (Bahamas). I would like to visit the Astecas, Incas and Maias civilization also.
If I wasn’t a scientist, I would be… Air force Pilot or Emergency Medical Doctor.